Cash register



June 2, 1942. K. M. VIGBORG CASH REGISTER, BOOKKEEPING, AND CALCULATINGMACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Karl MQ'H'S vl'aborg\NVKNTOE;

June 2, 1942. K. M. VIGBORG 2,284,884

CASH REGISTER, BOKKEEPING, AND CALCULATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25,19:59, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Kar! Ma++s Vl'a erg \NvENTofe RMATT'Y.

Patented June 2, 1942 UNITED CASH REGISTER, BOOKKEEPING, AND CALCULATINGllIACHINE Karl Matts-Vigborg, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor to KooperativaFiirbundet Fiirening U. P. A.,

Stockholm, Sweden Application September 25, 1939, Serial No. 296,379 InSweden August 31, 1938 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a device in cash registers, bookkeepingand calculating ma chines of the kind provided with amount or figure keybanks and one or more salesmens or transaction key bank. One object ofthe invention is to produce a simple and reliable device for locking bymeans of a removable key the depressable keys of each salesmans ortransaction key bank.

Another object is, in a device of this kind, to

provide means for preventing locking of the keys oi a key bank, as longas any key in said bank is depressed.

Still another object is to produce a cash register of this type in whichthe key bank locks and the zeroizing lock are arranged for selectiveoperation, so that the zeroizing mechanism can function only when thekey banks are locked and vice versa.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated on the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. l is a front view and Fig. 2 is a side view of adevice according to the invention.

Figures 3, i and show details of the device assuming various positionsand Figures 6 and 7 show on a larger scale sections on the lines VIVIand VII-VII in Figures 3 and 4 respectively.

Figure 8 is a detail view of the interlock slide. 7

On the drawings the salesmens or transaction key bank I is provided witheight keys 2 divided into two groups, the keys of the group 3A beingintended for actuation by one salesman and the keys of the group 3B foractuation by another salesman. In order to give each salesman apossibility of locking his keys, 1. e. to prevent a depression of thesame, it has been arranged as 7 follows:

Along each of the key groups 3A, 3B there extends a plate 4, one edge ofwhich is turnable around a shaft 5 mounted in the key bank (Figures 6and 7). The free edge of the plate 4 may thus be rocked away from andtowards the respective key shanks, the latter being provided with pinsor projections 6. These pins are adapted to cooperate with the free edgeof the plate 4, when the same assumes its position shown in Figure 6 i.e. rocked towards the key shanks, and to prevent a depression of thekeys. To enable a locking of the plate 4 in this key locking positionthere is formed a projection 1 on the plate, which projection enters aslot 9 in a member 8. The latter is provided with a notch l0 entered bya pin II, which is fixed'to a plate i2 rigidly united with the frame ofthe machine, said member strives through the action of a spring 54extending between said pin H and a pin l3 on the member to assume theposition shown in Figures 3 and 6. In the plate l2 there are furthersecured cylinder or Yale locks I5. To the inner ends of the lockingcylinders l6 there are fixed pins or projections l1. When the members 8and the locking cylinders l8 assume their positions shown in Figures 3and 6, in which positions the keys cooperating with the locks can beremoved, each of the pins ll rests against one edge E8 of a recess i9made in the respective member. A rocking outwards of the respectiveplate 4 is thus impossible, unless the respective locking cylinder i6 isbrought out of locking position.

When this is to take place the locking cylinder 56 is rotated in thedirection indicated by an arrow in Figure 3. The pin ll will nowcooperate with the edge 20 of the recess it, said edge serv ing as camor guide surface, the respective member being thereby against the actionof the spring id displaced in the direction indicated by an arrow inFigure 6. At the displacement of the member 8 the corresponding plate 4will also perform a rocking movement away from the key shanks andfinally reach the inactive position shown in Figures 4 and 7. In thisposition the pin H on the locking cylinder will prevent the member 8from being returned to the initial position by the spring (4. The keysmay now, without being prevented by the rail 4, be depressed, and Figure'7 shows how the pin 6 of a depressed key has passed the free edge ofthe plate 4. The retaining of the keys in the depressed position isprovided for by the common locking rail 22, only visible in Figures 6and 7.

In order that a salesman shall not be able to lock his keys before allkeys have resumed their inactive initial positions the member 8 has astriking surface 2|, positioned relatively to the turning centre [6 ofthe locking cylinder in such a way that the pin H, as is shown in Figure5, strikes against said surface before the locking cylinder has reachedthe position that allows removal of the key. In this position the springI4 is prevented from returning the member 8 and the plate 4 to theirinitial positions, since the plate 4 abuts against the pin 6 of thedepressed key 2, as indicated with dot-dashed lines in Figure 7.

In the embodiment shown on the drawings there is between the two locksserving for lock-- ing the salesmens or transaction keys at third lock23, by means of which a member 24 united with the zeroizing device ofthe machine may be actuated. Since, for several reasons, the salesmensor transaction keys should be locked during the zeroizing, said deviceis constructed in such a Way that it is impossible to insert a key intothe lock 23 before the keys have been removed from the locks l5, i. e.before the keys 2 have been locked. For this purpose there is provided aslide 25 behind the locks l and the lock 23. This slide is provided witha guide slot 26 and three semicircular openings 21, 28 and 29 (Figure8), said openings being positioned in such a way that, when the slideassumes the position shown in Figure 1, the keys corresponding to thelocks may be inserted far enough to enable a turning of the lockingcylinders. The inner end portions of the keys then enter the recesses21, 29 of the rai1'25, the shape of said recesses allowing a turning ofthe respective keys. The recess 28, on the other hand, is, when theslide assumes the position shown in Figure 1, located beneath thekey-hole of the lock 23. The key to said lock cannot, therefore, beinserted far enough to enable a turning of the locking cylinder. Thus,no zeroizing can be effected when the portions assume the positionsshown in Figure 1.

If, however, the keys are removed from the locks 15, it will be possibleto move the slide 25 1 from the position shown in Figure l and upwardsuntil the guide pin 30 in the guide slot 12$ strikes against one end ofsaid guide slot. The slide then assumes such position that the recess 28allows an insertion of the key into the lock 23 far grip. Saidprojection 31 is of such shape that,

when the slide 25 assumes the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, theprojection will be located between the edges that are formed by astationary portion of the casing of the machine and a cover 33 coveringthe totalizer or totalizers, said cover being preferably hinged andlockable. The slide 25 cannot, consequently, be displaced from itsposition shown in Figures 1 and 2 until the cover 33 has been opened andthe tctalizer or totalizers have been made visible. 7 i

As will be clear from the above the invention does not only offer asimply constructed, space saving and reliable locking device for thesalesmens or the transaction keys, but the present device prevents alsosuch false and injurious operations as are caused in earlier machines,often only due to lacking attention, in which machines there is nomechanical devices at all for preventing such false operations.Especially in cash registers that are used by several salesmen it is ofspecial importance that one salesman shall not win) be able to enteramounts on another salesmans keys. It is, however, of no less importancethat the salesmen shall not be able to lock their keys until all keyshave returned to their inactive positions and that the person performingthe zeroizing shall not have any possibility of actuating the salesmensor the transaction keys.

Several embodiments are, of course, possible within the scope of theinvention and the device may advantageously be modified in order tocorrespond to various demands in various machines without giving up theidea upon which the invention is based.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cash register including at least one 'salesmans or transactionkey bank having a plu rality of depressible keys, a rockable memberhinged on an axis parallel to said key bank, said member having an edgeportion extending along said key bank and being rockable into and out ofthe path of a portion of each key in said key bank, resilient meansurging said member into a key locking position in which its edgeprojects into the path of said key portions, a locking device to beoperated by a removable key, and a reciprocable link connected with saidmember and positively cooperating with a movable portion of said lockingdevice to rock said member into a position in which said keys are freedfor depression when said locking device is unlocked and to preventlocking of said locking device when said rockable member is not in itskey locking position,

each key including a portion disposed in the path or" a portion of saidrockable member when said key is depressed, whereby said rockable membercannot be restored to its key locking position and said locking devicecannot be locked as long as any key in said key bank is depressed,

2. In a cash register including at least one salesmans or transactionkey bank having a plurality of depressible keys, an elongated platerockable about an axis parallel to its longitudinal edges and to saidkey bank into and out of a key locking position, resilient means urgingsaid plate into its key locking position, each'key having a shankcarrying a projection adapted to cooperate with a longitudinal edge ofsaid plate to prevent depression of the key when said plate is in itskey locking position and with one of the plate surfaces when an effortis made to return the plate to its key locking position while said keyis depressed, a locking device to be operated by a removable key, and areciprocable link connected with said member and positively cooperatingwith a movable portion of said locking device to rock said plate into aposition in which said keys are freed for depression when said lockingdevice is unlocked and to prevent locking of said locking device whensaid plate is not in its key locking position, whereby said lockingdevice cannot be looked as long as any key in said key bank isdepressed. I

KARL MATTS VIGBORG.

